This position paper seeks to open discussion on the value of using classic educational writings to inform reflective practice in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) internationally. This paper focuses on using Thomas Merton’s Taoist writings as an entry point for translating the application of Multiple Intelligences (MI) theory in China. The author has selected Thomas Merton’s The Way of Chuang Tzu (1965) to illustrate translations of holistic experiences of neo-Confucian educational philosophy. This paper argues for cultural nuance in translating SoTL within globalized contexts.